Weller WM120 12w/120v Pencil Thin Soldering Iron

Purchased for my husband who refurbishes small consumer electronics for our business. This has made his life so much easier. It gets into small spaces and makes precise joints. So wish we would have bought a micro-soldering iron much sooner. He has used it almost daily for 2 months and it hasn't hiccuped.

I first purchased this soldering iron in 2004. It still gets used today (2013) for any kind of soldering job involving heat sensitive PCB boards and switches. I consider myself just a Do-It-Yourself hobbyist. Off the top of my head, I've used this iron particularly for Xbox (5 jobs), PS2 (1 job), 360 (1 job), 360 Slim (2 jobs) chip installs and a cruise control repair. It doesn't get used day-in, day-out but when I need to bring it out, it performs like a champ.The only other soldering irons I have to compare to are the ones that come from the shack. This iron outperforms any low-wattage soldering iron you can get at your local shack and is your best bang for your back without having to go through the soldering station route which is expensive.Pros:- Affordable- Pencil Thin tip makes it easy to work on PCBs- Low-Wattage helps to keep from damaging said PCBs- Very easy to control and maneuverCons:- Cost a bit more than the soldering irons you can get from your local shack.

Pro's (5 stars)Light-weight, fit and finish are very good, premium line cord with 3-prong plug. The pre-tinned MP131 conical tip holds its tinning and heats quickly and allows for pin-point precise heating. I have used the WM120 in soldering multiple box (2.54 mm) headers for Raspberry Pi interfaces, some #30 wire soldering to IC's, DIP sockets, LEDs, etc, on perf-boards and in mounting small SMD components on Schmartboard's SOIC to DIP adapter boards. I am extremely pleased with its feel and performance.Con's (1 star off)Price, availability/cost of replacement tips, and fragility-longevity of the tip insert and retaining mechanism. I did consider, for less than half the price, the Coopertools (Weller is now in Apex Tool Group) Model SP12 Mini Lightweight Solder Iron which is also available here on Amazon. The SP12 appears to use the much simpler screw-in type MT70 tips (much like my 30 y.o. SP23, 24 watt iron). However, it appears that only Apex and a few obscure outlets still offer the MT70 replacement conical tips.NotesIf you need a magnifier to solder something (I use a 2.5X jeweler's visor), you'll need this 12W sized soldering iron. Also, eventually, you'll need (MP131, $7-9, at multiple outlets) replacement tips - Just hope your iron isn't obsolete by then or that your old tip isn't frozen solid in the iron.

I use these irons to desolder capacitors. One on each side of a surface mount capacitor and they easily are removed. Cheaper irons have tips that are too large and they will not hit the capacitors very well. This makes a good clean job out of a task that is otherwise difficult and messy. The temperature is good for the lead free solder as well. It melts the lead free solder quickly and without disturbing the area around the components being removed.

Cord feels cheap. The cord's plastic jacket is incredibly stiff and there's no grommet where the cord meets the base of the soldering iron handle.The soldering iron tips are a pain in the ass to change - it's not as simple as just screwing them in.It's the right size and power for the job, but I feel cheated for the price. Weller used to be fantastic stuff.

I needed a very small soldering iron for surface mounted components. The iron worked very well for that. The iron does not have an active temperature control system. If you need that, get something else. It is designed for very small components were a hot but very limited heat transfer is required. Generally, I use it for very small jobs.

I was very disappointed when I saw how poorly this soldering iron was put together, especially for the price. I'm sure it won't last and I have the cheapest $10 iron that is built sturdier than this one. It doesn't have a barrel nut or even a screw in tip - just a little clip to hold the tip in. Looks like this clip could easily break, be lost or even burn up. The cord doesn't even have a grommet where it comes out of the handle. The good thing about this iron is, the size is right and that it has a very tiny tip; smallest I've ever seen - which is what I wanted & why I ordered it. I also have the Weller WES51 and am very pleased with it and know they last many years with long hours of daily use. I think I should have just invested in the smallest tips available for it instead. This WM120 is not what I expected from a Weller product, (even for a cheaper iron), and really don't think it is up to Weller standards.

O bought this unit because of the pencil tip for soldering some extremely thin (42 AWG) copper wire. It has worked great and the unit is very comfortable to hold. It is very light so "touch" is the key to producing desired results.I do wish it had a light but it is not all that hard to set up a desk lamp for viewing the immediate work area.I definitely recommend this unit, especially for dealing with small wire into small openings.